The Dallas Cowboys are known as “America’s Team” and that moniker comes with increased scrutiny, quite literally.
The Cowboys have fan tours at their training facility, letting fans observe the players as they go through the day-to-day grind tours. Unfortunately, the tours are starting to make the rounds online as being a contributing factor to the Cowboys’ absence from the NFC Championship game, a drought that stretches back to 1995.
According to Pro Football Talk, players have sounded off about the difficulties of training in the public eye.
“We have 24/7 access to the facility, and it should be a place of solitude,” one unspecified said. “I come in for extra work at night, to use the hot and cold tub, and there’s fans walking through, poking out at you. . . . We want to have our own space where we can talk, but it’s either media or fans all day. You never get a break. It’d be one thing if they did the tours like one day a week, but it’s every day.”
“You’re walking by the tour guide, and they’re pulling [the fans] to the side, and you hear them say, ‘Oh that’s CeeDee Lamb, that’s CeeDee!’ Like Dalton [Schultz] said, it’s kind of like you’re in a zoo and kids are going to see a lion,” said former Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse. “That’s not a reason why we didn’t get over that hump. But I just don’t think that really equates to winning. That has nothing to do with us winning the game.”
Now the face of the franchise, quarterback Dak Prescott, is giving his opinion on the matter.
“For one, this is all I know. I’m not going to let a couple people touring the building distract me. I’m present where I am,” Prescott said, per Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com. “I think, honestly, it’s an excuse. What’s the different in [media] coming in the locker room and talking? Guys bitch about that, too, and I don’t get that.
“It’s being professional; some things you deal with. Obviously, I guess, the nature of this organization, the tours are probably 10 times more than other places, if other places are doing them. . . . You’ve got to embrace it, honestly. You can walk by and have a negative mindset about it and allow it to ruin your day, or you can be thankful that you’re in an organization that people want to see.
“For me, it’s just easy to say ‘What’s up,’ wave and keep walking. I think I’ve heard you feel like a zoo animal, well, it’s like, sometimes I bark back and I say ‘Hey,’ and you just keep rolling. A lot going on, I’m not going to allow a couple of people [walking] through the workplace, there’s people on the other side of the building that you don’t necessarily know. Is it a distraction when you’re grabbing your plate and they’re grabbing theirs? It’s easy to focus on what you want to focus on, if that’s your mindset.”
Prescott went on to say he doesn’t think it has any impact on the outcome of games.
“I don’t think so. If that’s the case then the crowd is a distraction when you get out there. It’s the NFL. It’s a business that those exact reasons that this game is entertaining, that people want to watch it, that you have the fans that you have and you can create the relationships. If you’re distracted by that then you’re distracted by the fans in any arena you get into.”
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott doesn’t see the fan tours at The Star being an issue:
“For one, this is all I know. I'm not going to let a couple people touring the building distract me. I'm present where I am. I think, honestly, it's an excuse. What's the difference in (reporters)… pic.twitter.com/D3BypCcBad
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 24, 2024
Dak seems to have the right approach to the situation, hopefully, he can get his teammates to buy in.
